The above statement is the way I will sum the news I read in one of the newspapers attributed to one James Manager who is supposed to be one of the Senators of the Federal Republic. He was equally quoted as saying that he is the Chairman Senate committee on sports and they have concluded plans to hire a foreign Technical Adviser for the Super Eagles in preparation for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
The above statement is the way I will sum the news I read in one of the newspapers attributed to one James Manager who is supposed to be one of the Senators of the Federal Republic. He was equally quoted as saying that he is the Chairman Senate committee on sports and they have concluded plans to hire a foreign Technical Adviser for the Super Eagles in preparation for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
Honestly the thought that came to my mind was that if these are the type of persons that make up the senate then there is slim hope for Nigeria. I began to ask myself, is Coach Shuaibu Amodu going to be sacked for qualifying Nigeria for the World Cup despite all odds? More so this is the second time he has done that in the history of Nigeria's qualification for the world cup. This is the fourth time Nigeria has qualified for the World Cup now. Two of the four is the handiwork of Coach Shuaibu Amodu which is equivalent to 50%. Most importantly he is the only Nigerian to have performed that feat so far.
But what I cannot understand really is that what is the reason being advanced by Senator James manager and his cohorts for thinking of removing Coach Shuaibu Amodu? Is it because he has taken the Super Eagles again to the World Cup for the second time in less than 10 years? It is possible that if he was in charge in 2006 he would have taken Nigeria to the world cup anyway. Let us cast our mind back to 2002 briefly, Coach Shuaibu Amodu did the impossible as being the first indigenous coach to qualify Nigeria for world cup as those who did that 1994 and 1998 were the so called “foreign technical experts”. Hardly has he finished congratulating the players for job well done then the usual black man sentiment took over that we need a foreign coach, while the rest as they use to say now is history.
Now another golden opportunity has presented itself for Coach Shuaibu Amodu to showcase his talent at the world cup, then enemies of the development of football in Nigeria have suddenly woken up from their slumber that he does not have the experience and the respect of the players to go to world cup. By the way the 2002 World Cup was Nigeria's worst outing at the world cup. What I saw then was a coach planted unto his seat and never for once came to the touch-line to instruct his players on the field. The Super Eagles were like a sheep without shepherd. Of course they lost their three group matches. Compare that to Coach Shuaibu Amodu in Kenya, he was on his feet, read his match brought in Obafemi Martins who did the damage.
Yet again what happens to the rule that you do not change a winning team during the middle of the game?
As I am writing this article today, Nigeria's rating as a corrupt country has gone up again about nine times simply because a wrong decision was taken at a wrong time.
What Nigeria football needs now is not the sacking of Coach Shuaibu Amodu, but a big congratulations and the wherewithal to galvanise the players, bring team spirit and patriotism into the players and he will perform wonders in South Africa next year.
If despite all odds he could qualify the super Eagles for the world cup for the second time, is it now that there is much at stake that he will not sit-up? Even the players know what the world cup is to their career as professional footballers and will never toy or joke with instructions given to them by Coach Shuaibu Amodu.
But what makes some Nigerians think that a foreign coach presumably will be better than Coach Shuaibu Amodu? If you need a foreign touch just send Coach Shuaibu to one of the European Countries to watch and train and that is all. In fact let me tell you a story by my friend L. Ajayi Consultant Urologist in London UK. One of his patient was one of these Nigerian politicians who stole so much and came to the UK for their useless usual annual medical check-up, while let me leave it there for the sake of my Doctor friend.
Whoever is contemplating the removal of Coach Shuaibu Amodu now is not only a sadist but is not a patriotic Nigerian.
Where then is your patriotism? Where then is our pride as a black race? When then will indigenous coaches grow?
The best Senator James Manager and his agitators can do for now is forfeit their salary and allowances for four months so that Coach Shuaibu Amodu can use it for his training in European.
After all the foremost American President JF Kennedy says what have you done for your country?
For the past two years that they have been in that senate, they have not done anything worthy of praise like what Shuaibu Amodu has done for Nigeria. Qualifying Nigeria two times for world cup is a great feat. The only thing James Manager and his buddies in the senate have done is share one billion Naira budgeted for constitution review which they sadly have failed to do anyway.
The most and only qualified coach to take the Super Eagles to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa is Coach Shuaibu Amodu, because he worked for it, he merited it and he deserves it. Anything short of that is injustice and disservice to Nigeria football and the Nigerian Nation. The labourer is worth his wages and nobody should ripe where he did not sow. Shuaibu Amodu has sown and therefore he must ripe.
Ndiameeh Babrik
[email protected]
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